Tired Of Old Discolored Fillings?
How we look and how we perceive
ourselves has much to do with our self-esteem. When the color of our
teeth makes us embarrassed to smile, it’s probably time to get
our teeth whitened [bleached].
As one ages, teeth may darken from coffee, tea, smoking, berries and
other substances that get into microcracks in the enamel causing discoloration.
Some people have gray or brown bands on their teeth caused by an early
childhood fever or tetracycline medication taken when the tooth enamel
was forming. In some parts of the country where fluoride is found
in natural high concentrations in the drinking water, individuals
have developed teeth with bright white patches or dark brown blotches
[mottled enamel or fluorosis]. Everyone is not a candidate for bleaching.
Teeth discolored from aging have the best results. If you have tooth
colored resin or composite fillings in your front teeth, they will
not change color from bleaching and will “stick out like a sore
thumb” after the procedure. If you would like to have your teeth
whitened, call it to our attention at your next check-up visit. If
you are not a good candidate, we can suggest alternatives such as
bonding or porcelain veneers. There are various options to whitening
your teeth. Bleaching can be an in-office procedure [chairside]. It
may involve several appointments of 30-60 minutes each. The bleaching
agent is applied to your teeth and activated with a special light.
There is also an at-home procedure wherein you will wear a custom-made
mouthguard, filled with a bleaching gel, as per instructions from
your dentist. Some toothpastes have added whitening agents and can
be used as an adjunct to the other two procedures. In any case, there
is no reason to ever again suffer the embarrassment of discolored
teeth.
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